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Introduction

Werner Wolf/Black Star

(1894–1971). Joseph Stalin, dictator of the Soviet Union for 29 years, died on March 5, 1953. The next day the government radio announced that to “prevent panic” a collective leadership had been formed to rule the Soviet Union. Nikita Khrushchev was not mentioned in the bulletin. Yet within a few years he triumphed over his rivals to become sole dictator of the Soviet Union.

At Stalin’s funeral services Khrushchev shared the platform with the…

Rise to Power

The Plot Against Khrushchev

Personality and Policies

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